Self-feeding percussive apparatus.



W. Muss. SELF FBEDING PBRGUSSIVB APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 2, 1908.

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WILHELM Mauss, or isnnnraiv, reaivsvann SELF-runtime rnnoussivnAPPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 26, 1910.

Application filed December 2, 1908. Serial No. 465,616.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILHELM Mauss, engineer, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, and residing at the Victoria Falls Power Company Limited,Brakpan branch, Brakl nally of the neck 7, opening at one end 10` pan,llransvaal, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSelf-Feeding Percussive Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

'Ihe present invention relates to self-feeding percussive apparatus, andmore particularly t-o the type thereof described in the specification ofapplication Serial No. 385579, in which the percussive machine properlis constantly pressed forward in an yencircling shell and is checked bya body of liquid contained in the front of the shell, a portion of whichis, upon a blow being struck, released.l

It is the object of the present invention to provide certainimprovements as hereafter defined, whereby the practical value of suchapparatus is enhanced.

The invention aims in particular at improving the means for controllingthe dis charge of water from the water chamber: improving the disposalof the exhaust water and actuating fluid: and the prevention of unduepressure in the water chamber and of leakage to or from the same pastthe machine cylinder. The accompanying drawings illustrate the severalfeatures of the invention, Figure I being` a longitudinal section of theimproved apparatus, Fig. II an enlarged partial section thereof, butshowing the piston at the opposite end of its travel, Fig. III a sideelevation of a detail modification, and Fig. IV a transverse section onthe plane A-A Fig. III.

Numeral 1 indicates the machine cylinder sliding within a casing 2, thefront part of which, viz., the space 3, constitutes the water chamber.

4f indicates the piston and 5 the piston iod thereof which extendsbeyond the head 6 of the casing through a neck 7 projecting from thecylinder head 8.

Escape of checking water from the water chamber is controlled by a valveopened by the piston at each complete forward stroke. ijhe improvementin this connection consists in positioning the valve upon an externalout having to take the whole machine apart. 'Ihe improvement alsoconsists in a simple and easily replaced valve device for this purpose.

9 represents a port extending longitudi- 'into the water chamber 3 andat the other end to a perforatedvalve seat l1. Said valve seat is madeof iioncorrodible material and secured in place by any convenient meansso that it `may be readily extracted anld replaced upon its becomingunserviceab e.

The valve proper 12 is secured to a curved spring 13 shaped to embracerather more `thanhalf the circumference of neck 7, and retained by a pin111, entering a hole 15 in the neck. Also secured to the spring is aroughly segmental block 16 which extends through a recess 17 in theneck, into the vicinity of the piston rod 5 within the neck. Said blockis so shaped as to permit it, the spring 13, and the valve 12 to beremoved bodily when the pin 1li has been sprung out `of the hole 15. i

'Iheforward end 18`of the piston rod 5 is reduced in diameter and joinedto the unreduced part by a conical portion 19. Said reduced partis ofsuch diameter as to permit the block 1G to enter fully into its recess17 and thus cause the spring 13 to hold the valve firmly upon its seat;while contact of the cone 1901 the unreduced part of the piston rod,with the block 16,forces the latter outward and so lifts the valve. Uponthe cylinderbeing forced forward in the shell by suitable means, thechecking liquid in the chamber 3 will be put under pressure, but thevalve 12 being closed (as in Fig. I), no forward movement ofthe cylinderwill occur. The position of the cone 19 is so arranged that whenever inthe course of its reciprocations the tool cuts into therock, the block16 will be forced out, thus openingthe valve, as shown in Fig. II, andpermittingliquid to escape and the cylinder to move forward, inaccordance with the depth of the cut. The form of the valve and valveseat will depend upon the desired method for disposing of the waterreleased from the water chamber. 'Ihusthe water may simply be dischargedto atmosphere by using an open flat seat 11 and a fiat valve 12 ofleather or the like as shown in Figs III and IV. Again it is desirablein some cases to carry the water down a hollow tool to wet the drillingdebris. In this case the valve 12 and seat 1l may be formed with thefitting cylindrical parts numbered respectively 20 and 21 in Figs. I andII, and conical parts 22 and 23. Ihe port 9 opens upon one side of theconical seat, and an eduction port 24 leads 0H from the other sidethereof. To the rear of the tool chuck 25 is secured a collar 26 havingan inwardly and forwardly inclined rear face 27. The internal surface ofthe collar and the rear end of the chuck are shaped to form an annularchamber 28 of substantially circular cross section and having a narrowannular inlet 29. From the chamber 28 a number of inclined passages 30lea-d to the central bore Sl of the chuck. Such bore communicatesforwardly with the axial hole 32 in the tool 33 and usually rearwardlywith the bore 34 of the piston rod 5. Vith the arrangement describedupon the raising of the valve at the termination of the forward stroke,liquid passed from port 9 and issuing as a jet from port 24, enterschamber 28. By means of the suction produced by movement of the tool inthe bore hole and usually also by that set upY by the exhaust air fromthe percussive machine passing down hole 34 as hereafter described, suchcollected water is drawn down passages and ejected from the end of thetool. Y

The machine is usually forced forward in the shell by means ofcompressed air or other actuating' fluid supplied to the rear end of theshell through the cock 35; and oppositely directed cup leathers 36 aresecured to the cylinder head 8 by means of a nut 37, to form a packingbetween the front and rear shell spaces. Vith the object of Lkeepingsaid leathers in close contact with the shell and to insure that nowater shall pass into the air space, or vice versa, there is providedbetween the leathers an annular disk or spacing plate '38 perforatedwith a number of radial holes 39. From the space 40 between the leathersa channel 4l is carried up the neck 7 and opens upon that part of theperipheral surface of the same which is always clear of the shell. Thespace 40 between the leathers is thus maintained at atmosphericpressure, thereby enabling the pressure of the air and water on eitherside to keep the leathers tight. Moreover any quantity of either fluidwhich may chance to leak past its corresponding packing will beconducted away and prevented from passing under the other packing; andan inspection of the discharge from channel 41 will both disclose theexistence of leakage and indicate which of the packings is defective.

IVlien using fairly high air pressure with the machine as illustrated inthe above mentioned prior specification, the lesser area of the front ofthe cylinder as compared with its rearward area gave rise to aninconveniently high pressure in the water chamber. To remedy this thepresent invention provides for a reduction of the rearwardly directedarea of the cylinder which is exposed to external pressure. rlhus a rod42 extending from the rear cylinder cover 43 may be caused to projectthrough the rear cap -14 of the shell 2. Such extension moreover may bemade hollow' and utilized to convey a part or the whole of the exhaustactuating fluid from the machine. Thus in the machine illustrated thedistributing valve 45 is adapted to pass the exhaust actuating Huid fromthe machine into the hollow interior of the piston. Preferably a. partof such exhaust is passed down the relatively small bore 34 of thepiston rod and assists in conveying to the drill the water ejected fromthe water chamber 3 and also assists in clearing the bore hole. Thei'en'iainder of the exhaust passes to the rear of the pis ton, andthence through the ratchet box 4G to the hollow rod 42. By simplycovering the open end of the rod 42 the whole of the exhaust air may beforced down the bore hole when special clearance of the same isrequired.

that I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. Incombination, a shell containing checking liquid, a percussive machinecyliiider slidable therein, and bearing against said liquid, a pistonprovided with a piston rod and working in said cylinder, a neckextending from the cylinder and surrounding the piston rod andprojecting beyond the shell, and a valve device mounted upon theprojecting part of said neck and control ling the escape of said liquidand being distinct from the piston.

2. In combination, a shell containing` checking liquid, a percussivemachine slidable therein, and bearing against said liquid, an extensionfrom said percussive machine projecting beyond the shell and having aport extending substantially throughout said extension, said poitcommunicating at one end with the liquid and opening at the other endexternally of the shell, and means controlling said opening.

3. In combination, a shell containing checking liquid, a percussivemachine cylinder slidable therein, a piston provided with a piston rodand working in said cylinder. said piston rod being of varying section,and means operated by engagement with the piston rod to control theescape of said liquid.

4. In combination,` a percussivc machine, means exerting forwardpressure on the same, means containing a body of liquid by the releaseof which the percussive machine is permitted to advance, and a valvecontrolling the release of said liquid, said valve being detachablymounted upon the percussive machine.

5. In combination, a percussive machine, means exerting forward pressureon the same, means containing a body of liquid by the release of whichthe percussive machine is permitted to advance, an extension from thepercussive machine having a port communicating with the liquid, and avalve device controlling the mouth of said port, said valve devicecomprising an arcuate spring partially encircling the extension, a valveproper carried by said spring and closing said port, and means forliexing the spring to operate the valve.

6. In combination, a percussive machine,

means exerting forward pressure on the` same, means containing a body ofliquid by the release of which the percussive machine is permitted toadvance, an extension from the percussive machine having a portcommunicating with the liquid, and a valve device controlling the mouthof said port, said valve device comprising an arcuate spring partiallyencircling the extension, a valve proper carried by said spring andclosing said port, means for detachably securing the spring to saidextension, and means for flexing the spring to operate the valve.

7. In combination, a percussive machine, means for exerting forwardpressure thereon, means containing a body of liquid by the release ofwhich the percussive machine is permitted to advance, means controllingthe escape of said liquid and including a renewable valve seat which isat all times ex ternal of the shell.

8. In combination, a percussive machine, n'leans exerting forwardpressure on the same, means containing a body of liquid by the releaseof which the percussive machine is permitted to advance, a piston andpiston rod working in the percussive machine, a part surrounding thepiston rod having a port communicating with the liquid and opening uponsaid part, an arcuate spring embracing said part, a valve proper carriedby the spring and closing said ort, a member carried by the spring anprojecting through said part to engage the piston rod and being movedthereby to operate the valve. l

9. In a percussive apparatus, in which forward movement of thepercussive` machine proper is checked by a body of liquid a portion ofwhich is periodically released to de termine the feed; a hollow pistonand piston rod for the percussive machine, a hollow tool secured to thepiston rod, said machine having an exhaust aperture at the rear thereof,means for conveying the exhaust checking liquid into the hollow tool andmeans for conveying the exhaust actuating iuid into the hollow piston,whence it passes partially down the hollow tool with the liquid andpartially from the rear exhaust aperture aforesaid.

10. The combination with a shell and a reciprocating percussive machineslidable therein, of packing elements between the machine and the shellspaced apart from each other to form an intervening chamber', and meanswhereby the chamber between the packing elements is put intocommunication with the atmosphere.

ll. The combination with a shell and a reciprocating percussive machineslidable therein, said machine being exposed to pressure at both ends,of packing elements between the machine and the shell spaced apart fromeach other to form an intervening chamber, and means whereby the chamberbetween the packing elements is maintained at a lower pressure thaneither of the pressures on the cylinder ends.

l2. The combination with a shell and a reciprocating percussive machineslidable therein, said machine bein exposed to pressure at both ends, ofpacIring elements be tween the machine and the shell spaced apart fromeach other to form an intervening chamber, said machine having anexhaust port communicating with said chamber and opening to theatmosphere at such a point as to permit discharge therefrom to beobserved.

13. yI`he combination with a shell and a reciprocating percussivemachine slidable therein and provided with a member slidable therein andprojecting therethrough, said member having a port at all times open tothe atmosphere at its outer end, packing elements between said machineand shell spaced apart to form an intervening chamber and arranged tocommunicate with the inner end of said port.

14;. The combination with a shell and a reciprocating percussive machineslidable therein and provided with a member slidable therein andprojecting' therethrough and `having a port opening to| the atmosphere,

packing elements between said shell and ma-` chine, a ported spacingplate interposed between said elements to form a chamber therebetween,the port in said member communicating with the ports in said plate andthe said plate ports communicating with said chamber.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILIIELM MAUSS.

Witnesses i ALFRED L. Sroon, J. WARREN VENNING.

